Lock and latch



Aug. 1, 1939. 5,111 L N 2,167,736

LOCK AND LATCH Filed Feb. 5. 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Ill S. T. ALLEN LqcxAND LATCH Filed Feb. 5, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 HNVENTOR.

ATTORNEYE Patented Aug. 1, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 15 Claims.

This invention relates to a latch, and while it is capable of employmentin many situations, it is intended primarily for use as a door latch;and while the invention operates as a latch, it also can function as alook.

A general object of the invention is to produce a latch of simpleconstruction, having few parts which can readily be assembled.

In a common type of latch or lock, the latch l0-bolt projects from thelatch casing, from the edge of the door, and the bolt is formed with aninclined face or cam face that enables the keeper on the door jamb topush back the bolt when the door is moved to its closed position. Thisprojecting bolt is objectionable particularly where the latch is on anautomobile door, as ones wear ing apparel may become caught in it ingetting in or out of the car.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a latch whose boltwill be withdrawn into the lock casing or edge of the door while thedoor is in its open position, and having improved means for controllingthe bolt.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention,

5 the mechanism of the latch includes an automatic stop, which engagesthe bolt when the bolt is in its extended or locking position; and oneof the objects of the invention is to provide very simple means foreffecting control of this automatic stop.

A further object of the invention is to provide a latch having a casingof simple construction, which is adapted to facilitate the assembly ofthe parts of the latch.

When the latch is intended to be used as a lock capable of beingunlocked by means of a key at the outer side of the door, the lockingmechanism is carried in a chamber in the knob on the outer side of thedoor; and one of the objects of the invention is to provide improvedmeans for enabling a key-controlled lock to be placed in a chamber ofthe knob in such a way that it will become automatically locked in thischamber against withdrawal.

A further object of the invention is to provide 45a latch of improvedconstruction, and having simple means for securing the shanks of theknobs rotatably within the latch casing, and operating to reduce thenumber of parts usually necessary for accomplishing this.

It is found in practice that there is a slight variation in thethickness of doors, even where the doors are supposed to have the samethickness. One of the objects of this invention is to provide aconstruction for the latch casing that Will enable it to be readilyadapted to doors of different thickness. Also to provide a lock that canreadily be secured in the door by means of a single screw or bolt.

A further object of the invention is to provide a latch with a simplenight lock for use on an outside door; and to provide simple meanswhereby such a lock when used on an inside door, can be opened from theouterside if that should become necessary. This latter feature adaptsthe lock admirably for use on a bath-room door.

Further objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel parts and combination of parts to bedescribed hereinafter, all of which contribute to produce an efiicientdoor look.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is described in the followingspecification, while the broad scope of the invention is pointed out inthe appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevation showing a portion of a door witha lock applied to the same. This view also shows a portion of the doorjamb broken away.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken about on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1,and showing certain portions of the latch broken away.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken about on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 uponan enlarged scale, and illustrating the parts of the latch in therelation which they have when the bolt is extended; that is to say, whenthe bolt is in its locking position. This view illustrates the automaticstop engaging with the bolt to prevent unauthorized withdrawal 3 of thebolt. This View also shows the control means for the automatic stop in aneutral position, in which it will permit movement of the automatic stopby the knobs of the door.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, but with the forward portion of thecasing and latch mechanism broken away. This view illustrates thecontrol member for the automatic stop in a position which will preventmovement of the automatic stop out of engagement with the bolt from theouter side of the door, without the use of a key.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section taken about on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3,but showing the controlling means or controlling pin for the automaticlatch, partially in section and partially in plan.

Fig. 6 is a vertical section taken about on the line 66 of Fig. 2, butupon an enlarged scale, and further illustrating details of the meansfor mounting the knobs, and the relation of the keylock mounted in theouter knob. This view, of course, shows adjacent portions of the doorbroken away.

Fig. 6a is a section upon an enlarged scale corresponding to Fig. 6, andparticularly illustrating the details of the locking means for securingthe key-controlled lock in the knob.

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the latch with certain parts shown insection, and other parts broken away, and particularly illustrating themeans actuated by the knobs for withdrawing the latch bolt. This viewshows the latch bolt in an extended position.

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 7, but showing the cam actuated by theknob in its active position, that is to say, in the act of withdrawingthe bolt.

Fig. 9 is a plan of the latch bolt broken away and shown partially insection.

Fig. 10 is an end elevation of the latch bolt Viewed from its inner endand in an upright position.

Fig. 11 is a plan of a sleeve associated with the bolt, which cooperateswith the knob cams for withdrawing the bolt.

Fig. 12 is an end elevation of the sleeve illustrated in Fig. 11, andshowing the same in an upright position. This view shows the sleeve ofFig. 11 as viewed from its inner end.

Fig. 13 is a plan of the lock casing with the movable parts of the latchremoved, and particularly illustrating the relation of the bolt guide tothe casing of the lock, and the means for mounting the same in the latchcasing. This figure illustrates the casing constructed in one piece, butso that it can adapt itself to doors. of different thicknesses.

Fig. 14 is a view similar to Fig. 13, but illustrating anotherembodiment of the latch, portions of the escutcheon plates of the latchbeing broken away and shown in section. This View illustrates anembodiment of the invention in which the forward end of the casing isconstructed as a separate piece from the inner casing escutcheon plates.

Fig. 15 is a side elevation of the controlling pin that controls theautomatic stop.

Fig. 16 is a perspective of a cotter plate, which I employ for holdingthe knobs in the casing of the latch.

Fig. 17 is an end elevation of the latch casing illustrated in Fig. 13,but in an upright position.

Fig. 18 is a horizontal fragmentary section through the latch at thecontrolling pin, and. illustrating a modified construction for insidedoors such as a bath-room door, that will enable the pin to becontrolled from the outer side of the door if necessity demands.

Fig. 18a is a plan of a simple key that may be employed for opening thatlatch shown in Fig. 18, from the outer side of the door.

Fig. 19 is a fragmentary elevation of the escutcheon plate adjacent thecontrol pin shown in Fig. 18.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 to 6, the latch has a casing or case ithat is preferably mounted in a notch 2 cut into the door 3 at its freeedge 4.

The casing preferably has two escutcheons or escutcheon plates 5 and 5.The forward wall 7 of the casing I and the rear wall 8 have suflicientvertical depth to fill the notch 2 neatly, and the entire latch can besecured in the door by a single through-bolt 9, that passes into theescutcheon plates from the inner side, see Fig. 2.

Within the casing I, I provide a bolt guide H] (see Figs. 5 and 13), thebody of which is of block form with a central recess H, so that twoforks l2 are presented at the rear, said forks being received in notches13 formed in divided sections of the inner transverse wall 8 of thecase. This cross-wall 8 is divided by a gap 13a cut through it (see Fig.17), and the two wall sections are cast integral with the escutcheonplates 5 and 6, and seat against the inner end of the notch 2, (see Fig.5).

The forward end of the bolt guide I is formed into a guide stem M onwhich the bolt I slides, the-nose N5 of the bolt being guided throughthe forward wall I of the casing, so that it can project into a keeperll recessed into the door jamb l8.

A spring is provided for projecting the bolt from the casing lpreferably in the form of a coil spring 19 mounted between the guide andthe bolt. In the present instance it is mounted in a spring chamber 25formed in the forward end of the bolt.

The bolt l5 shown in detail in Figs. 9 and 10, has an integral neck 25of slightly larger diameter than the nose IS, so that a shoulder 22 isformed for a purpose that willappear hereinafter. The rear end of thebolt is formed with two plate-like forks 23 and 24 that extendrearwardly and slide on the upper and lower fiat guide faces 25 of thebolt guide l9.

An actuator or actuating sleeve 25 for withdrawing the bolt, is guidedon the outer side of the bolt 15, (see Figs. 1 and 3). This sleeve shownin detail in Figs. 11 and 12, has a cylindrical collar 21 that slides onthe neck 2| of the bolt l5, and the rear portion of this actuatingsleeve 26 has two integral plate-like forks 28 and 29 that slide on thefaces 23 and 24 of the bolt [5.

Knobs 30 and 3| are provided, with shanks (see Fig. 6) that arerotatably mounted in. the escutcheons 5 and 6, and the end of the shank32 is cut away on its under side to form a short tongue 34 with a camface 35 on its under side to disengage an automatic stop 36 that iscapable of locking the bolt in its extended position (see Fig. 3). Thisstop 36 is preferably mounted on a pivot pin 31 in the aforesaid recessll of the bolt guide (see Fig. 13).

When the bolt I5 is in its extended position a spring 38 under the stopforces the stop up so that the forward end of its upper finger 39 liesin a notch 40 at the rear end of the bolt l5 (see Fig. 9) and the end ofthis finger 39 engages the rear end of the bolt at the edge 4| of thisnotch. When the shank 32 is rotated the cam face 35 engaging a lowerfinger 42 on the stop 36, depresses the forward end of the stop anddisengages it from the bolt 15. This permits the bolt to be withdrawn.In order to accomplish this, the shank 32 of the inside knob 30 carriesa doubletoed cam 43. The toes of this cam cooperate with shoulders 43aof the actuating sleeve 26, and slide the sleeve in on the bolt [5. Asthis takes place, the forward end of the sleeve 26 (see Fig. 7) pushesagainst shoulders 45 on the bolt and withdraws the bolt. When the boltis completely withdrawn, a spring-actuated detent pawl 46 engages theshoulder 22 on the bolt (see Fig. 5) and holds the bolt back until thedoor is closed; when this occurs an exposed button 41 strikes the stopstrip 48 of the door jamb and releases the detent pawl, whereupon thespring shoots the bolt into the keeper IT. A spring 26a returns theslide 26, (Fig. 8), and this rotates the knobs to neutral position.

When the bolt is being withdrawn, of course, the forward end of the stop36 is held down by the under face of the upper fork 28 of the sleeve 26.A night lock is provided. For this purpose I provide means forcontrolling the automatic stop from the inner side of the door, and thismeans preferably consists of a pin 49 (see Fig. 2) having a handle 50for moving it. In the neutral position of this pin a reduced neck 5| ofthe pin has the relation indicated in Fig. 3. The reduced neck is formedby cutting away the side of the pin to form clearance notches 52 and 53.This neck is located at an arc-shaped recess 54 forming the rear edge ofthe stop 36, and below this point the stop has a rearwardly projectingtall 55. By rotating the pin 49 on its own axis the circumferential face56 can be brought around to a diametrically opposite position to fillthe recess 54 and this, of course, will lock the stop against beingdepressed at its forward end. At this time the latch cannot be openedeven by means of a key at the outside of the door. The spring l9 onlyadvances the bolt, and hence can be relatively weak. This avoids noisewhen the bolt goes into the keeper. The spring 26a, as stated, retainsthe sleeve 26.

If the pin handle 56 is so located that the shank of knob 30 wouldprevent its rotation, then the pin would be mounted to slidelongitudinally so as to bring the full cross-section of the pin into therecess 540. (see Fig. 4). In order to permit this to be accomplished,the side of the pin .49 may be provided with a bayonet slot 56 (seeFigs. 5 and 15) engaged by a set-screw 51.

The forks l2 of the bolt guide are provided with recesses lZa. to permitthe pin 49 to pass through (see Fig. 13). The pin, of course, holds therear end of the bolt guide against moving up or down.

The outer knob 3| has a shank 58, the inner end of which is constructedlike the shank 32 of the inside knob, and is provided with a doubletoedcam 59 that engages two shoulders 43a. (see Fig. 11) of the sleeve, butit cannot withdraw the bolt l5 unless the automatic stop 36 isdisengaged from the bolt. If the night lock pin 49 is not locking theautomatic stop 36 against being released, it can be released through theagency of a key-lock 60 the barrel 6! of which can be rotated by theproper key 62. The inner end of the barrel can rotate a stem 63rotatably mounted coaxially within the shank 33. For this purpose theinner end of the barrel has a rectangular socket 64 for a tongue 65 onthe end of the stem 63. The other end of the stem has a short tongue340. like the tongue 34 (see Fig. 6) and operating in the same way whenrotated, to depress the forward end of the automatic stop, to releasethe bolt I5 for withdrawal.

The key lock 60 is inserted in a chamber 66 from the outer end of theknob 3|, and I provide means for holding the entire lock againstwithdrawal. For this purpose I provide yielding means such as a pin 61(see Fig. 6) mounted in a sleeve 6611 having a pressed fit in the knob.The pin is urged inwardly by a spring 68. When the key lock 60 is shovedinto the sleeve 60a, its inward movement is arrested by the end of thebarrel 6| seating against the end of tongue 65.

When this occurs, the nose of pin 6'! snaps into a socket 69 having anabrupt shoulder 69a, in the outer face of the case 10 of the key lock.In

order to enable the key lock to be removed, the

latch must be disassembled sufficiently to enable the stem 63 to beshifted inwardly. When the stem 63 is out of the way the key lock 60 canbe pushed further into the bore of the sleeve 60a, clearance beingprovided for this at the inner end of chamber 66, and in doing this thepin 61 is pushed back by a cam face H of the socket 69; then by a slightrotation of the entire lock 60 through the medium of its key, theshoulder 69a will be moved out of line with the pin, enabling the lock66 to be withdrawn from the chamber 66.

In order to hold the knobs 36 and 3| against withdrawal, I provide theshank of each knob with a circumferential groove 12, and these groovesare engaged by the downwardly bent ends of a saddle plate l3 (see Fig.6). If desired, the ends of the saddle plate may seat through slots 14dformed in bosses 14 formed on the inner faces of the escutcheon plates 5and 6.

In the construction shown in Fig. 6, the escutcheons may be providedwith integral sleeves 15 for supporting the knobs. In Fig. 14 Iillustrate a modification in which the knob sleeves 15a project throughthe escutcheon plates "IT, and have slots 18 to cooperate with a cottar,or key-plate 19, (see Fig. 16) that is dropped into the slots 16 fromabove to engage with grooves (not illustrated) in the knob shanks likethe grooves 12.

If desired, the sleeves 15 may be covered by ornamental sleeves 80.

In assembling the parts of the latch having the construction of thecasing illustrated in Figs. 5 and 13, the bolt !5 with the sleeve 26mounted on it should be slipped over the bolt guide ID before the boltguide is set in the casing; the spring l9 should be placed in the springchamber 26, however, in assembling these parts. The bolt should bepressed inwardly so as to compress the spring I 9 sufficiently to enablethe bolt guide and bolt to be introduced by lateral movement into theinterior of the casing, whereupon the nose of the bolt should be guidedinto its guide opening in the forward wall 1 of the casing. The rear endof the bolt guide is then shoved back so that its forks 25 lie in thenotches l3 fitting tightly between the upper and lower faces [3b of thenotches, (see Fig. 17). As viewed in Fig. 1'7, it will be seen that thehorizontal width of the inner end of the bolt guide it is considerablyless than the distance between the vertical faces [30 of the notches I3so that clearance gaps are formed at each side. The presence of theseclearance gaps enables this latch casing to fit doors of differentthickness because when the screw 9 is put in place it will spring therear ends of the escutcheon plates inwardly and clamp them against thefaces of the door.

If the latch casing has the construction of frame illustrated in Fig.14, the bolt guide Illa will be made integral with the inner wall 8a ofthe casing. This wall Sea has no middle gap, but extends completelyacross between the side walls of the latch-casing. With this form ofcasing the forward wall la is constructed as a separate piece from theremainder of the casing. The inner portion of this front wall la is ofreduced width so as to present side faces 6| that fit in between theside Walls 82 of the casing. The shoulders 83 formed on the front wallla seat against the ends of the side walls 82 of the casing, and theforward wall la is secured in place by countersunk screws 84 that passinto the same through the outerfaces of the-side walls 82 of now bebriefly described.

'- end of the bolt.

the left, compressing the spring l9.

the. latch casing. Theescutcheonplates. 11 may be secured to the sidewalls 82 of the casing by long screws such as the screw or bolt 9illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3. In Fig. 14 the drilled opening to receivesuch a screw is indicated by the dotted lines 85. These drilled openingswould, of course, be placed at points out of line with the moving partsinside of the latch casing.

Referring again to Fig. 6, it should be said that mounting thespring-pressed pin for the key lock casing 66 in a bushing or sleeve 69aseparate from the knob 3| is most advantageous, because it greatlysimplifies the operations necessary to seat the key lock in itsknob-chamber, and greatly reduces the cost of the construction.

When the latch is used on an inside door such as a bath-room door, itmay be constructed so that the locking pin 49 can be rotated from theouter side of the door. For this purpose the end of the locking pin 49a(see Fig. 18) is exposed at the side of the casing, and provided withtwo small sockets 86 to receive the forks of a key 8'! that functions asa small spanner wrench to enable the locking pin to be rotated torelease the automatic stop of the latch. A little projection or dog 51aon pin 49 engages the automatic stop 36 (see Fig. 3) to depress it atits forward end.

The mode of operation of the entire latch will In the normal position ofthe parts with the door closed, the bolt I will be in an extendedposition projecting through the forward end wall 1 of the latch casing,as illustratedin Fig. 3. This figure shows the night latch pin 49 in aneutral position in which the notches 52 and 53 in this pin are oppositethe curved rear edge 54 of the automatic stop 36 which, at this time,has its upper finger 39 in engagement with the edge 4| at the rear Inthis way the automatic latch 39 being held up by its spring 38, preventsthe bolt from being withdrawn until the automatic stop 36 is depressed.With the parts in the position illustrated in Fig. 3, if the inner knob39 is rotated the cam face 35 will press the lower finger 42 downwardlyand thereby depress the finger 39 of the automatic latch so that it willdisengage itself from the edge 4|. The further rotation of the knob 39will cause the active toe 101": the double-teed cam 43 to engage itscorresponding shoulder 43a on the sleeve 46 (see Figs. 2 and 11). Thiscontact with the shoulder 43a occurs however, after the cam face 35 hasdepressed the automatic latch 36. The cam toe 1'. then slides the sleeve26 toward the left as 'viewed in Fig. 3, and as soon as the shoulder 43aon the sleeve 26 strikes the shoulder 45 on the bolt, the bolt will bewithdrawn from the keeper 3. In other words, the bolt is slipped towardWhen the bolt has slid a sufficient distance toward the left, thespring-pressed detent pawl 46 will engage the shoulder 22 (see Fig. 5)and hold the bolt in its withdrawn position. The bolt will stay in thisposition until the door is closed, and when the door arrives at itsclosed position the releasing button 41 being engaged by the stop cleat48 of the door jamb, will be pulled inwardly, thereby releasing the boltand permitting the spring I9 to extend the bolt into the keeper II.

When it is desired to set the night lock on the latch, this may beaccomplished by rotating the night lock pin 49, or by pulling itlongitudinally in an outward direction on its own axis. If the handle 50of this night lock pin 49 has suflicient freedom of movement the reducedneck 5| of this. pin 49 can be rotated through substantially 180 so asto bring the peripheral face 56 in contact with the rounded edge orrecess 54 at the back of the automatic stop 36. This face 56 engagingthe curved recess 54, will prevent the automatic stop: 36 from beingrotated downwardly, and hence the door in this condition cannot beopened even by rotating its knob on the inside, nor can the door beopened even by means of a key applied in the key-lock 69 in the outsideknob 3|.

If the night lock pin 49, however, is in the neutral position shown inFig. 3, the bolt I5 can be withdrawn through the agency of a. key 62applied in the barrel 61 of the key lock 69. The use of a key insertedin this barrel will enable the barrel to be rotated in the key-lockcasing 10. The rotation of the barrel 6| through the agency of thetongue 65 (see Fig. 6) will enable the stem 63 to be rotated. This stem,through the agency of its short tongue 34a, will depress the automaticstop 36 by functioning in the same way as the short tongue 34 that iscontrolled by the inside knob 30. As soon as the automatic stop 36 hasbeen disengaged from the bolt, then the knob 31: can be rotated and itcan operate through the agency of its double-toed cam; 59 engaging oneof the shoulders 43a of the sleeve 26, and will move the sleeve towardthe left and withdraw the bolt.

After the sleeve 26 has moved toward the left to withdraw the bolt, itis returned by its return spring 26a to its normal position, therebybringing the double-toed cam of the operating handle back to its normalposition, as illustrated in Fig. 7, and return the knob to normalposition.

The key-lock casing 19, through the agency of the shoulder 69a, preventsthe key-lock from being pulled out of the key-lock chamber 66. Thekey-lock can only be removed from this chamber by dismantling the latchsufliciently to enable the stem 63 to be shifted toward the right. Thiswould give clearance at the inner end of the chamber 66 to permit thekey-lock casing to be pushed further in. This inward movement willenable the inclined cam face H to push the pin 61 back, therebydisengaging it from the shoulder 69. By rotating the key-lock casingthereafter through a sufficient number of degrees beyond the limit ofmovement of the barrel 6 I, the notch can be thrown out of line with thepin 61, and this will permit the key-lock to be removed.

When the lock is used on a bath-room door, the key 81 should be hung upin a convenient place outside the door. This key can be used to open thedoor from the outside because it enables the lo'cking pin 49 to berotated. In doing this, the dog 51a rocks the automatic stop 36 down,and this will permit the knob to be rotated to withdraw the bolt.

As indicated in Fig. '7, a considerable lost motion gap. 43g is providedbetween the shoulder 43a and the upper toe to cam 43, while the lowershoulder 43a is in contact with the lower toe of the cam. With thisrelation it is evident that if the knob isv rotated so that the cammoves in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 7, the automatic latch 36will be released before the cam starts the withdrawal of the bolt, butrotating the knob in the other direction will not release the automaticlatch before it starts to withdraw the bolt. Hence this. direction ofrotation for the knob cannot Withdraw the bolt. It is preferable toprovide a single gap 439 for each cam because the sleeve 26 will thenhold the knobs yieldingly in their neutral position, and so that theywill not rattle.

It is understood that the embodiment of the invention described hereinis only one of the many embodiments this invention may take, and I donot wish to be limited in the practice of the invention, or in theclaims, to the particular embodiment set forth.

What I claim is:

1. In a latch, the combination of a casing, a bolt guided within thecasing, a spring urging the bolt to project from the casing, anautomatically operating stop for engaging the bolt in its extendedposition to prevent withdrawal of the bolt, a handle, means actuatedthereby for moving the automatic stop to permit withdrawal of the bolt,means also actuated by the handle for withdrawing the bolt; andhand-controlled means for looking the automatic stop in its engagingrelation with the bolt to prevent the operation of the handle fromwithdrawing the bolt.

2. In a latch, the combination of a casing, a bolt guided within thecasing, a spring urging the bolt to project from the casing, anautomatically operating stop for engaging the bolt in its extendedposition to prevent withdrawal of the bolt, a handle, means actuatedthereby for moving the automatic stop to permit withdrawal of the bolt,means also actuated by the handle for withdrawing the bolt; a transversepin associated with the automatic stop, to be operated at will intodifferent positions, said pin having a form such that in one of saidpositions it permits free movement of the automatic stop, and in anotherpositionlocks the stop against movement away from engagement with thebolt.

3. In a latch, the combination of a casing, a bolt guided within thecasing, a spring urging the bolt to project from the casing, anautomatically operating stop for engaging the bolt in its extendedposition to prevent withdrawal of the bolt, a handle, means actuatedthereby for moving the automatic stop to permit withdrawal of the bolt,means also actuated by the handle for withdrawing the bolt, means forsupporting said stop to swing in a plane substantially in line with thedirection of movement of the bolt, said handle located adjacent theforward end of the stop, and hand-controlled means cooperating with therear end of said stop capable of locking the stop in engagement with thebolt.

4. In a latch, the combination of a casing, a bolt guided within thecasing, a spring urging the bolt to project from the casing, anautomatically operating stop for engaging the bolt in its eX-' tendedposition to prevent withdrawal of the bolt, a handle, means actuatedthereby for moving the automatic stop to permit withdrawal of the bolt,means also actuated by the handle for withdrawing the bolt; a guide onwhich the bolt slides, means for supporting the stop on said guide toswing in a plane substantially in line with the direction of movement ofthe bolt, said handle having a shank for engaging the forward part ofsaid stop to disengage the same from the bolt.

5. In a latch, the combination of a casing, a bolt guided within thecasing, a spring urging the bolt to project from the casing, anautomatically operating stop for engaging the bolt in its extendedposition to prevent withdrawal of the bolt, a handle, means actuatedthereby for moving the automatic stop to permit withdrawal of the bolt,means also actuated by the handle for withdrawing the bolt; a guide onwhich the bolt slides, means for supporting the stop on said guide toswing in a plane substantially in line with the direction of movement ofthe bolt, said handle having a shank for engaging the forward part ofsaid stop to disengage the same from the bolt, and a transversehand-controlled pin capable of engaging the rear part of the stop tolock it in engagement with the bolt.

6. In a door latch, the combination of a oasing having escutcheon plateson the sides thereof and having a rear cross-wall integral therewith, abolt guide supported at its rear end on said cross-wall, a bolt guidedto slide on the guide, a spring urging the bolt to project from thecasing, said casing having an integral forward wall with an opening forthe forward end of the bolt, the rear end of said guide having a slottherein, an automatic stop mounted in said slot to swing in a planesubstantially in line with the direction in which the bolt is guided toslide, for engaging the bolt to prevent its withdrawal, a handle withmeans actuated thereby for releasing the stop, and means operatingthereafter to withdraw the bolt.

7. In a door latch, the combination of a casing having escutcheon plateson the sides thereof and having a rear cross-wall integral therewith, abolt guide supported at its rear end on said crosswall, a bolt guided toslide on the guide, a spring urging the bolt to project from the casing,said casing having an integral forward wall with an opening for theforward end of the bolt, the rear end of said guide having a slottherein, an automatic stop mounted in said slot to swing in a planesubstantially in line with the direction in which the bolt is guided toslide, for engaging the bolt to prevent its withdrawal, a handle withmeans actuated thereby for releasing the stop, means operatingthereafter to withdraw the bolt, and a transverse movable pin to beoperated from the side of the door having means for engaging the stop tolock the same against disengagement from the bolt.

8. In a door latch, the combination of a casing having escutcheon plateson the sides thereof and having a rear cross-wall integral therewith, abolt guide supported at its rear end on said cross-wall, a bolt guidedto slide on the guide, a spring urging the bolt to project from thecasing, said casing having an integral forward wall with an opening forthe forward end of the bolt, the

rear end of said guide having a slot therein, an automatic stop mountedin said slot to swing in a plane substantially in line with thedirection in which the bolt is guided to slide, for engaging the bolt toprevent its withdrawal, a handle with means actuated thereby forreleasing the stop, means operating thereafter to withdraw the bolt, anda transverse movable pin to be operated from the side of the door havinga notch in its side adjacent the said stop permitting free movement ofthe stop, and capable of movement to withdraw the notch and present thefull diameter of the pin against the stop to lock the same againstmovement by the said handle.

9. In a door latch, the combination of a casing having a pair ofescutcheon plates to seat against the sides of the door, said casinghaving a rear wall between the escutcheon plates, a bolt guideprojecting forwardly from the rear wall of the casing into the interiorof the same, a bolt guided on the said bolt guide, said bolt guide andbolt having a spring chamber formed therebetween, a spring received insaid spring chamber for urging the bolt to project from the casing, anautomatic stop for engaging the bolt to prevent withdrawal of the same,a knob having a shank extending through one of the escutcheon plateswith means actuated thereby for disengaging the stop, and means actuatedthereafter for withdrawing the bolt.

10. In a door latch, the combination of a casing having a pair ofescutcheon plates to seat against the sides of the door, said casinghaving a rear Wall connecting the escutcheon plates, a bolt guideprojecting forwardly from the rear wall of the easing into the interiorof the same, a bolt guided on the said bolt guide, said bolt guide andbolt having a spring chamber formed therebetween, a spring received insaid spring chamber for urging the bolt to project from the saidcasing,.a knob rotatably mounted in one of the escutcheon plates, a stemwithin the said knob, said knob having a key-lock chamber therein, akey-lock mounted in the said chamber for r- -tating said stem, anautomatic stop for engaging the bolt to hold it projected from thecasing, said stem having means for actuating the automatic stop todisengage the same from the bolt, and means actuated by the knob afterthe automatic stop has been disengaged, for withdrawing the bolt.

11. In a door latch, the combination of a main casing, a knob rotatablymounted in the main casing and having a lock chamber therein, a lockmounted in the lock chamber including a keylock casing and rotatablekey-controlled means within the key-lock casing, a stem rotatablymounted in the shank of the knob and engaging the key-controlled meansfor imparting movements from the key-controlled means to the interior ofthe lock casing, said key-lock casing being insertable into the saidchamber from the outer end of the knob, yielding means mounted in theknob for locking the key-lock casing against withdrawal after the samehas been inserted in the key-lock chamber, said stem operating to limitthe inward movement of the lock casing within its chamber, said chamberextending beyond the inner end of the key-lock so as to permit furtherinward movement of the key-lock casing when the said stem has beenremoved,

said key-lock casing and said yielding locking means having correlatedmeans cooperating to enable the said further inward movement of thekey-lock casing in the key-lock chamber after the stem has been removed,to effect the release of the key-lock casing from the yielding lockingmeans.

12. In a door latch, the combination of a main casing, a knob rotatablymounted in the casing and having a key-lock chamber therein, a key-lockmounted in the key-look chamber, said key-lock including a cylindricalshell and a key barrel rotatably mounted in said cylindrical shell, astem rotatably mounted in the shank of the knob and engaging the innerend of the key barrel for imparting movements to the lock mechanism onthe interior of the main casing for controlling the same, aspring-pressed pin mounted in the knob, said shell having a pin socketin its outer face adapted to eoeperate with the springpressed pin toprevent withdrawal of the key-lock shell after the same has beeninserted in the keylock chamber, said stem operating to limit the inwardmovement of the key barrel and its shell within the key-lock chamber,said chamber extending beyond the inner end of the key-lock in theposition of the key-lock when the same is engaged by the spring-pressedpin, enabling the key-lock casing to be pushed further into the saidchamber when the said stem has been removed, the said pin socket in thesaid shell having a cam face for pushing back the spring-pressed pinwhen the key-lock casing is pushed further into its chamber, and therebyoperating to release the key-lock casing from the spring-pressed pin.

13. A latch constructed as described in claim 11, in which thespring-pressed pin is carried in a sleeve pressed into the chamber inthe knob.

14. A latch constructed as described in claim 8, in which the transversemovable pin is provided with a dog operating to engage the automaticstop and disengage the same from the bolt, when the transverse pin isrotated.

15. In a door look, a bolt, means for guiding the bolt, a spring urgingthe bolt into its extended locking position, a detent for engaging thebolt to hold vitin .its extended position, a rotatable knob, akey-controlled barrel mounted in the knob and having .a key-slot, meansactuated by the barrel to release the detent, means actuated by therotation of the knob from its normal position to withdraw the bolt, andmeans for returning the knob to its normal position, and therebyreturning the barrel and key-slot to their normal positions.

SHERMAN TECUMSEH ALLEN.

